Detour Pit Stop #123: Museo Nicolis, Verona, Italy
in fair verona where we lay our scene is a hidden gem of a motor museum.
Travelling by road through Italy is a wonderful way to discover things that aren’t on the main attractions’ list. This is exactly what happened to me on a recent trip to Eataly, sorry, Italy. I needed to pit stop at a supermarket for basic supplies and a quick Google search revealed the Museo Nicolis dell'Auto, della Tecnica, della Meccanica nearby.
The modern-looking museum building houses over 200 classic and vintage cars in a 6,000 square metre display. Some of the marques have long been confined to history, such as Amilcar and Isotta Fraschini. During my visit there was a Mille Miglia themed display, which isn’t surprising seeing as how Verona is just a few kilometres from the race’s original start of Brescia.
Museo Nicolis is named after its founder, Luciano Nicolis, a man who believed in the concept of “collection and reuse”. It’s no wonder to learn that Nicolis was the head of one of Italy’s biggest paper recycling firms.
Cars aside there are nine other collections. These include motorcycles, bicycles, cameras, musical instruments, typewriters, flight instruments, military memorabilia, model cars, and engines. The last of these is an incredible collection of over 100 Formula 1 steering wheels that spans the ages. Many of these are signed by the original pilots who used them.
The museum can be reached by car, train, bus or bicycle, and even has charging stations for e-bikes… handy. It is definitely worth a stop if you happen to be in the area with a little extra time on your hands.
Words and Photography Sudhir “Banzai” Matai Twitter | Instagram